A/N: Hello, hello :) This is the last part in a three-part one shot series, James Bond AU. We rejoin quartermaster Hermione and henchman Antonin. I am so excited that you guys have enjoyed going on this crazy ride with me! Coming up next, I'm hoping to finally put out a Salazar x Hermione oneshot and start on a Theo x Hermione multi-chapter if you enjoy my work. You can follow me over on tumblr (nauticalparamour) where I post sneak peeks, story updates and answer questions. HUGE thank you to SynnDagger for beta reading this story. Her help has truly been invaluable!
Please let me know what you think of this one!
Trusty weekender bag packed, quartermaster Hermione Granger was running through packing lists to prepare for her most recent foray into the field. Somehow, M had decided to see her field skills as an asset, though Hermione wasn't sure she'd feel the same if she knew the truth.
Apparently, to Hermione, field skills meant getting seduced by Eastern European henchmen and charming them into giving up very important data.
The thumb drive she'd delivered from Antonin had ended up being genuine and incredibly useful. So useful, in fact, that they were able to set Voldemort's space terrorism back approximately a decade. She didn't think that the odious villain that she'd had the displeasure of meeting would be hijacking satellites anytime soon.
It was lucrative enough that M decided to lean on the cover Hermione and Harry had unwittingly fallen into. She was meant to accompany him, as Mrs. Potter, to Nassau so that they could celebrate a fictional anniversary and Harry could do some investigation into a new chemical company that Voldemort had invested in there.
While she'd tried to protest, it had been too convenient a cover not to continue to use.
Hopefully, Hermione would be able to just relax once they got there, spending her time on the white sandy beaches in her sexiest black bikini, getting drunk on fruity cocktails. Only, with her luck, she'd probably end up sunburnt, too. Or kidnapped by Voldemort a second time.
The young woman slung her bag over her shoulder and walked towards the entrance of her flat. Squealing when she saw an envelope had been slipped under her door, Hermione eagerly picked it up. She wrenched open the door to her flat and looked both ways down the hallway, but didn't see any sign of the leaver.
In the year since Paris, Hermione had been getting notes from Antonin, but she hadn't seen even a glimpse of the mercurial man who'd captured her attention. She slipped her finger under the sealed edge of the envelope and ripped the paper, eager to see what he'd written this time.
The red dress was gorgeous on you. Wish I could have confirmed that you weren't wearing anything underneath. X
Hermione blushed at the raunchy words, immediately knowing what dress he was referring to. A part of her knew she should be disturbed by the knowledge that Antonin was stalking her, but she was mostly willing to cling to anything that let her know he was still alive.
She recognized the huge risk he'd taken in giving her the thumb drive and she'd been worried about what would happen if Voldemort discovered his treachery. Further, she couldn't even begin to understand what his motives had been in giving her the information. He'd mentioned leaving Voldemort's service, but what did he mean by that?
Surely he couldn't be thinking of leaving just for her.
Before she could think about it much more, there was a knock at the door. Feeling her heart race, wondering if it was Antonin, Hermione pulled the door open.
"Oh, it's you," she said with a frown when Harry's smirking mug was revealed.
"Expecting someone else?" Harry asked, leaning against her door frame. With his navy blue linen shirt, khaki pants, and shiny Ray Bans, he looked the picture of a tropical vacation.
"Of course not," Hermione retorted, before shoving her heavy bag into his hands. "I'm about to go on vacation. Who would I be meeting?"
"Jesus, Hermione, what do you pack in this thing?" he wondered, groaning at the weight when he threw it over his shoulder. "We better get a move on if we want to make our flight."
"Lead the way," Hermione said, locking the door behind her. "The sooner we get there, the sooner I can start drinking my weight in piña coladas."
The flight had been uneventful, aside from the upgrade to First Class when Harry had chatted up the flight attendant and told her it was their one-year anniversary.
They arrived in the Bahamas mid-afternoon, but by the time they got settled into their villa (right on the beach, with a perfect view of the ocean) it was dinner time. Hermione changed into an airy white sundress to beat the heat and accompanied Harry to dinner at an expensive (far more expensive than she would ever choose) restaurant right on the beach.
It was a bit disappointing to go on a working vacation in a paradise like this, Hermione thought. "I can't believe you get any of your expenses cleared," Hermione said as they shared a whole lobster and a bottle of expensive champagne.
"M knows what she's getting into with me," he said with an overly large grin. "Besides, I like to test old Minnie's sensibilities sometimes."
"Harry," Hermione scolded, knowing that she would never get away with half as much as he did.
"What? It's our anniversary vacation - like we aren't going to splurge a little," he quipped, loving to play up the cover they'd been given by Voldemort himself.
Hermione just rolled her eyes and tried to enjoy the sound of the waves breaking on the sand. She was glad that she and Harry were such good friends, otherwise she didn't think she'd be able to put up with his antics. When she looked back up at him, she noticed that Harry was staring intently over her shoulder.
"What is it?" she demanded, resisting every urge to turn and look, knowing that it wouldn't do to draw attention to herself.
"Nothing," Harry insisted, though his tone indicated that it was much more than nothing.
"Harry," she insisted, wishing he would let her know. Her life was in danger here, too!
"After dinner, go straight back to the villa," he instructed, before finishing the rest of his champagne and throwing down a wad of bills on the table. He stood up, ready to leave. "I won't be back until very late."
And then he left her sitting there all by herself. "Well, that's just great," Hermione muttered to herself, already irked by her husband's illusive behavior. Doing some mental calculations in her head, she figured that she had enough for at least one cocktail.
She waved down an order. "A mai tai, please," she ordered, before tucking into her dinner. The lobster wasn't going to finish itself, afterall.
Hermione wasn't sure what had woken her up from a dead sleep, but she was wide awake in her room in the villa. She strained her ears in hopes of identifying any other noises besides the crashing waves, but came up empty.
"Harry?" she called out, her hand reaching over to the empty side of the bed next to her, confirming that he wasn't in bed with her.
When she got no answer, her fingers found the cool metal of the gun she'd hidden under Harry's unused pillow. She took hold of the weapon as a sinister feeling raced up and down her spine.
Without warning, a hand came out of the darkness and clamped down over her mouth to stop her from screaming. Acting on instinct, Hermione pulled the gun out and pointed it in the general direction of where her attacker was, hoping that it would be enough to scare them away.
The figure in the blackness stilled as her threat registered, but they did not appear to be frightened. Instead, the shadow loomed forward, covering her, until Hermione could feel lips on her ear.
"Don't worry," came a familiar voice. "It's just me. Antonin."
She felt her wildly beating heart begin to slow, knowing that Antonin meant her no harm, even though she wasn't a big fan of how he'd chosen to greet her. Cautiously, she lowered the gun, letting it fall uselessly onto the bed next to her.
"What are you doing here?" she questioned, already feeling her body beginning to respond to his closeness.
"Not here, your room is bugged," Antonin answered. "Go run a bath."
In another second, he'd pulled back from her, allowing her to slip out from under the sheets. She walked to the bathroom, glad that she didn't stumble over anything unfamiliar in the dark. Once she was in the en suite, she turned on the harsh fluorescent lights and looked at herself in the mirror.
Blushing, she hoped that Antonin didn't mind the slinky satin pajamas in blush pink that she'd selected. Maybe she should slip into a robe? No, they had already seen more than enough of each other for that.
She turned the dials on the bath, adjusting the temperature until it was just a tad too warm - exactly how she liked it. Without thinking, she threw in a handful of the luxurious bubble bath that the resort provided.
When she stood back up, Antonin had followed her into the bathroom. She bit her lip as she looked him over. He was just as handsome as ever, even with a bit more scruff on his face than usual. His brown eyes were full of heat and promise.
He walked toward her until they were just barely touching. Presumptuously, his hand cupped one breast through her pajamas, his thumb running over the nipple until it hardened under the cool fabric. "Is this really what you wear for your husband, Mrs. Potter?" he asked, jealousy obvious in his voice.
Hermione felt her breath grow shallow. "I wasn't expecting Harry back until tomorrow morning," she told him, her voice low. "How do you know the room is bugged? I checked myself."
"Then your equipment isn't good enough," he answered. "Voldemort ordered it, so I know it was done."
Turning over her shoulder, Hermione saw that the tub was filling quickly. Feeling bold, she grabbed the edge of her top and pulled it up over her head. Then, her fingers found the elastic of her shorts and knickers and pushed them down over her hips until she was completely nude.
Normally, she'd be far too self-conscious to do something like that, but she knew the effect she had on Antonin. Looking him in the eye, she was delighted to watch his pupils go wide with desire.
His head dropped back. "Fuck," he whispered.
Hermione couldn't help but smirk and stepped into the waiting bubble bath. "Join me?" she asked, before immersing herself in the water.
Antonin did not need convincing and quickly started to work on the buttons of his shirt, shoving the fabric aside until he was equally naked. He stepped into the tub behind her, his long legs on either side of her body. He pulled her back towards him until their bodies were flush with one another.
"It's easier to talk this way," Hermione said, already feeling his hard cock against the curve of her arse.
"Why not kill two birds with one stone?" Antonin asked, kissing up and down the side of her neck.
A shiver raced up Hermione's spine. "Why did you give me the plans?" she asked, sounding breathless and needy. She could hardly think with him so close after so long apart, but she needed an answer to the thing that had been plaguing her for some long. "I couldn't believe that they were real."
"I've got my hands all over you and you want to talk about satellite plans?" he asked. To punctuate his question, he brought his hands around her body.
Having her view obscured by the bubbles made his touch all the more tantalizing, not knowing where he was going to touch her next. One arm spanned across her chest, holding her tight against him, while his hand played with her breast. And then the other hand was gliding down her body, past her belly button, to - oh.
She dropped her head back against his shoulder, feeling completely overwhelmed.
"Please, let's get business out of the way so that we can get to the good part?" she begged.
Antonin chuckled, the sound reverberating through her body. His fingers did not stop their exploration of her slippery folds, having found the spot at the top of her sex that had her moaning.
"Alright, alright," he agreed. "I tried to tell you in Paris. I-I don't want to work for Voldemort anymore. I am tired of being a henchman and I want to get out. But, as you know, there isn't a way to leave Voldemort except death. And I am quite fond of being alive."
"I'd like to keep you alive, too," Hermione said, feeling a bit dizzy from the heat of the bath and Antonin's attention.
"Good," he chuckled, before one long finger found her cleft and entered her. He removed the digit and delved in again, the palm of his hand firm against the top of her sex. "So you'll help me?"
"Antonin," she moaned, twisting her head so that she could kiss at any available skin she could find. "I'll try to help you. We'll have to talk to Harry, but he would probably be able to help you. He gets whatever he wants from our people."
He rubbed his face against hers affectionately, his beard making a scratchy but pleasant sensation. He never stopped the movement of his hand, feeling the way her body tightened around his intrusion. He knew she was close. "Thank you," he said, with some relief.
She barely registered the words because in the next moment, she was coming around his finger, moaning his name. Waves of pleasure crashed over her, like the waves lapping out on the beach.
When she came back to herself, she felt oversensitive. She wasn't sure if her body could handle any more, but she liked the feeling so much that she decided she would chance it.
The water had nearly overfilled the tub, so she reached over and turned off the taps. The pounding of the water stopped and they were left in silence. Turning to face her lover, Hermione advanced toward him shyly, biting her lower lip.
He looked indolent, stretched out in the bathtub, his hands gripping the sides. He made no effort to help her when she crawled over him, her legs on either side of his lap. With one had to steady herself on the lip of the tub, Hermione's other hand slipped under the water to grab hold of his cock.
Antonin's head fell back and he groaned.
"You'll have to be quiet, if you don't want the bug to pick up your voice," she whispered, enjoying pushing him to the edge.
She sank down on him, until he was seated inside her and they were eye level again. He couldn't stop from groaning again, the noise reverberating against the tile. Taking pity on him, Hermione kissed him, her tongue slipping into his mouth to tangle with his own.
His hand found her hips and encouraged her to move up and down in a familiar rhythm. Hermione, sensitive and feeling half-drunk, couldn't stop her moan that time. As their movements grew more frenzied, the water began to slosh back and forth, some of it slipping over the edge, splashing on the ground. But she didn't care. All she cared about was the way Antonin was making her feel, like she'd drank too much champagne.
Again and again, their bodies came together, pushing forwards towards the edge of orgasm. Hermione broke their kiss and dropped her head to his shoulder to muffle her mewls of delight. Clinging to him like her life depended on it, Hermione's back arched until he was hitting that one spot.
His movements were growing more and more erratic, but Hermione was right there with him. Grinding against one another, Hermione's world went white hot, feeling like she touched a live wire as satisfaction sizzled through her body. Moaning, not caring who the fuck heard her, she let her head drop back in pure delight.
Antonin's hands were tight on her hips, moving her up and down until he could find his own satisfaction. His teeth bit at his lower lip until they went white, to stop himself from making any noise that would give them away. With one last thrust, he held her down against him when he followed her over the cliff to bliss.
They stayed there, wrapped up in one another until the water had gone tepid, enjoying the feel of their bodies pressed together. But eventually, they knew that they had to part and Antonin had to leave, unless they wanted Harry to find them and jump to all the worst conclusions.
"Whoever is listening to that tape is going to think I had a very good night with myself," Hermione whispered to him, feeling cheeky.
Antonin snorted. "I'll have to track it down before I leave," he answered, his voice a low rumble. His hand cupped her jaw gently. He used his thumb to graze her bottom lip. "Because I don't want anyone else but me to hear you like that."
Hermione's heart was beating in double time, wondering what Antonin's changing alliance meant for them. They had had trysts, yes, but was he interested in her for anything else? His words suggested more, but Hermione also got the idea that he was simply a jealous person.
Antonin didn't share.
Knowing that they weren't going to solve anything that night when they couldn't even have a proper conversation, Hermione stood up from the tub and grabbed a towel. Once she was dry, she handed it to him, before slipping back into her satin pajamas.
"Come back tomorrow," she murmured. "We can explain it to Harry then."
Deciding that she was going to talk to Antonin was one thing; pinning him down long enough to actually do it was another thing entirely. Eventually, Hermione thought that she really was going to have to physically pin him down.
Who was she kidding?
Harry would shove her off of him quicker than she could say 'license to kill'.
Antonin was impatient and their days in the Bahamas were quickly dwindling and Hermione knew that she had to do something or leave Antonin hanging. And she really didn't want to do that.
So, when Harry tried to shake her off after another dinner to meet up with a zoologist named Luna who knew 'something' about animal experiments that Voldemort was doing, she had to put her foot down.
"By all means, Harry, run off to the forest with Luna and live there happily ever after for all I care!" she said, grabbing onto his arm tightly and not letting go. "But first, I need to give you some intel from M. Not to mention, I've gotten a surprise shipment of some equipment that might be able to help you in your hunt."
That had perked Harry's little ears right up. He loved a gun, after all.
Antonin was waiting for them when they showed up at the villa, sprawled in one of the chairs like he owned the place.
Harry immediately shoved her behind him, wanting to protect her. "Hermione, get back!" he said, his entire body alert. "It's Dolohov." He reached into his waistband and pulled out his gun, pointing it at her lover.
This was not going the way she expected.
Grabbing onto his arm, Hermione tried to grab ahold of the gun. "Harry, you don't understand," she said desperately. "Antonin and I need to talk to you."
"What the hell?" he asked, turning to look at her with narrowed eyes. "Hermione, I don't want to have to hurt you, but if you've turned, I won't hesitate."
"Potter, just put the gun down," Antonin said, holding up his hands in surrender.
"Don't tell me what to do!" Harry said, before aiming the gun at him again.
Hermione knew that she needed to get a handle on the situation before it got more out of control than it already was. Without thinking, she jumped onto his back, holding onto him like a koala. "Harry, just, put, the, gun, down," she said, stuttering from the effort it was taking to hold on. She reached for the gun, hoping to get it out of his hands. "Let's, talk, it, through."
Harry was trying to get her off of his back and dropped the gun to the ground. He stumbled back until they landed against the bed, his whole weight on top of her.
"Harry, get off me!" she commanded from her squashed position.
Antonin kicked the gun out of the way under the couch, before joining them on the bed. He used his shoulder to literally pin Harry in place. "Just listen to her, Potter," he said. "She's your friend. Doesn't she deserve that at least?"
Harry fought a little bit before realizing that it was a losing battle with the other man's weight on him.
"Harry, Antonin wants out of Voldemort's organization," she said, biting her lip. "And... he was the one who gave me the satellite plans. I think that since he's helped us out — massively — we should...we should help him out now. He can't do it alone."
Harry looked at her with eyes narrowed. "Hermione, have you...are you and Dolohov together?" he asked, obviously shocked at the words that were coming out of his own mouth.
She couldn't hide her blush. "I mean, we aren't in a relationship or anything," she said, looking at Antonin shyly. They certainly hadn't talked about this and it was odd to do it now. What if he didn't want anything to do with her? She would still help him now, because it was the right thing to do, but it would hurt if he just dropped her like a hot potato after all of this. "But we...we are..."
Antonin grinned at Harry. "We're fucking," he said, clearly enjoying the way that Harry sputtered. "But it would be more if it wasn't for my boss."
Hermione felt her heart pound against her chest, glad to hear that he was interested in more. Because, as she was only just realizing now, Antonin had captured her attention and she really wanted to see where this was going to go.
Harry stared at her for a moment, trying to read her expression. "And this is really what you want, Hermione?" he asked, unsure.
"Yes," she answered decisively.
"Okay," he said, all the tension leaving his body.
"So, will you help us?" Hermione asked, nibbling at her lower lip, hoping for an affirmative response. "Get Antonin out, I mean. You'll ask M? I know that she'd do anything for you."
"Yeah," Harry agreed. "I can't believe that I'm agreeing to this. But I will talk to M. Now, can you let me up? I really have to go meet with Luna."
Antonin got off of Harry then and wrapped Hermione in a tight embrace. He looked...hopeful. Excited even. Perhaps he was already planning the next chapter of his life. He grabbed her jaw gently, before slanting his lips across hers in a passionate kiss.
Across the room, Harry made a noise of disgust. "Ugh, please just don't do that on the bed," he requested. "I still have to sleep there."
Hermione laughed, deciding not to tell him about the bathtub.
Harry wouldn't give Hermione any of the details when they took a walk along the beach together about how he was planning on handling things with Antonin. The only thing that he would say was that he'd spoken to M and that they were going to handle it.
Still, she wanted details and she was going to get them, even if that meant hacking into M's computer (again) if needed.
Before she could return to the villa to get to work, they spotted some of Voldemort's people on the pier. Harry grabbed her hand and pulled her behind a small fishing boat so they could spy on the men without detection.
"Don't be so obvious!" Harry scolded her when he saw the way that she was peering out over the full nets to get a better look. "That's Lucius Malfoy. He's running things down here. Luna and I found his house yesterday. He's got all sorts of weird reptiles."
Hermione looked at the blond man in question, his hair tied back in a low ponytail, but didn't think he seemed that intimidating. He looked rather pompous, and she wondered if he was hot in the black polo and trousers that he fancied wearing on this hot afternoon.
"And that one is Rowle," Harry said, pointing out a second man who seemed to be the brute strength of the operation. His arms looked bigger than his head!
They seemed to be overseeing the loading of several large boxes onto a ship. Hermione couldn't even begin to guess what was inside them, but she knew that it was probably no good.
"We should move closer, to get a better look," Harry murmured, his green eyes trained on the henchmen. "Or to see if we can hear what they are up to."
Hermione stood up, ready to bolt to a closer boat with him. But then, she saw Antonin join the other two, his tan skin all the more striking thanks to his pale pink shirt. She snatched Harry's sleeve and pulled him back down. "It's Antonin," she said, her heart pounding in her chest.
Harry shook his head, giving her a stern look. "I am not letting Voldemort get away this time, Hermione," he said, grabbing hold of her wrist and pulling him after her towards the cigarette boat that was docked at the next pier over. "I'm going to find out where they are going and if Dolohov gets in the way of that, then-"
She gasped when she realized that the trio of men had spotted them. Malfoy began to shout out commands and all three of them were hopping onto the ship, ready to push off from the dock.
Her friend swore, before lifting her into the boat, pulling wires from under the steering wheel to hotwire the thing into starting. Harry followed the ship in hot pursuit, peeling out so fast that Hermione was knocked off balance, falling back against the last row of seats.
"Jesus Harry, you nearly sent me overboard!" she shouted at him, annoyed. "If you aren't going to be careful, at least let me get off."
"No time," Harry answered, the boat bouncing across the wake of the ship that they were following. "I suggest you hold on because this is going to be bumpy."
Just as they were catching up to Voldemort's men, two speed boats came into the bay behind them. A shot rang out and Hermione screamed when the bullet ricocheted off the end of their boat, narrowly missing her head.
"Hermione, you take the wheel," Harry commanded, placing her hand around the throttle. "Keep on the boat and I'll handle these guys!"
Although she'd gotten some field experience at this point, Hermione certainly had never been in a boat chase shootout. Hermione had never driven a boat! Hermione didn't want to drive a boat! But she also knew that she had no choice. Cursing Harry for getting her into this, she did as he said, doing her best to keep the speedboat on plane.
Harry stood at the front of the boat and took aim at one of the men driving a speedboat. He fired a shot and Hermione was helpless to do anything but gasp as she watched him hit his target. At least they had lost one of their pursuers.
The speed of the cigarette boat was no match for the ship that Voldemort's men were on and Hermione quickly drove up next to it. Before Harry could hop onto it, she had to veer off course to avoid the second speed boat.
"Fuck!" Harry shouted, annoyed that he'd missed his chance.
He turned to face the second speed boat and sent a volley of shots towards the boat. One. Two. Three. Four.
Hermione stood up to get a look at where they were going, only to have her hat fly off her head and out of the boat. She pressed her hand to her head and turned around to watch it land helplessly in the water.
Five. Six. Seven.
Then she saw him in the second boat. Antonin. He must have been hit by one of the bullets because he was bowled over the back of the boat, falling into the water. She waited for him to bob up out of the water, but -
Nothing.
Her hand slipped from the throttle and their boat quickly lost speed until it was inching through the water.
Harry was shouted profanities as the ship with Malfoy and Rowle slipped out into open ocean water, and then out of sight around the bay.
"Hermione! What are you doing?" he demanded, his hands grabbing at her shoulders, looking over her to see if she was hurt. "Were you shot? Tell me!"
She pointed to where she had seen Antonin dip under the water. "Antonin," she said weakly, surprised at how upset she was. Yes, she and Antonin had been in an odd cat and mouse game for two years now, but it wasn't like she was in love with him.
Right?
She felt numb inside as Harry took back command over the boat and turned them back to shore. He kept repeating that everything was going to be okay and that he would handle it, but Hermione didn't know how he could handle it when Antonin was dead.
He pulled them up to the pier and tied the boat, before helping Hermione back onto dry land. Harry wrapped an arm around her shoulder and quickly shuffled her along down the beach. She wasn't even sure where she was going, instead watching her feet go one in front of the other, trying not to get swallowed up by all of the wild emotion she was feeling.
They were back in the hotel.
She couldn't hold it back any longer. Hermione began to cry big huge sobs that shook her whole body.
Harry didn't let her go and guided her to the bedroom, before pulling her down to lay on the bed. He wrapped her up, holding her head to his chest, his fingers running through her hair while she cried. "It's going to be okay," he kept repeating again and again. "Just trust me."
If anyone knew loss, it was Harry. But Hermione didn't know how she could trust him right now.
She fell asleep.
It was dark when she woke up. The breeze pulled and dropped the curtains from the open window and the scent of evening rain hung in the air.
Her hands reached out blindly, looking for Harry, but all she felt was the cool pillow that she'd been clinging to. It was a poor substitute for her friend, bu, she supposed that catching Voldemort couldn't wait, not even when his oldest friend had just had her heart smashed into pieces.
Sitting up, Hermione looked around the room. Her eyes felt puffy and she was sure that she looked a fright; it was better for her to be alone, unseen by anyone. She trudged her way into the bathroom and splashed some cool water on her face. Looking at her reflection, she wondered when she'd gotten so deep with Antonin.
She should order room service, she thought. She wasn't really hungry, but it would help deal with the bottle or two of wine that she planned on drinking to help her forget. Then she would catch her flight back to London in the morning, pretending like none of this had ever happened. Pretending that she'd never fallen in love with an enemy, sent to seduce her.
Leaving the bathroom, she was surprised to find the bedside lamp on, Harry sitting in the armchair, waiting for her.
"Harry, what are you doing here?" she asked. "You'd left, I thought you'd gone after..."
She trailed off.
Antonin was standing there. In her villa.
Pressing her hands to her eyes, Hermione blinked rapidly, wondering if this was all some sort of hallucination sent to torment her. But he was still there.
"What the hell?" she demanded, feeling her ire begin to rise. "I saw you drown! You were shot! You were dead!" She strode towards him with fury and relief in her veins and pounded her fists against his chest.
Antonin caught hold of her wrists to stop her attack. He pulled the fabric of his shirt to the side, showing a bruise from where a blank had obviously hit him. "Good," he said. "Voldemort shouldn't give my death a second thought."
The puzzle pieces began to slip into place: Antonin had said that death was the only way to get out of Voldemort's employ. So, maybe this had been the only way to get him out safely. Only she didn't know why she'd had to be kept in the dark.
"Harry, you did this and you didn't tell me!" she said, glaring at her friend, wondering how he could have done that. "You let me sob for hours."
"I tried to tell you that it would all work out," Harry insisted, hiding a smile. "You didn't really listen."
She rolled her eyes at him, before returning her gaze to Antonin. She was so mad at both of them, but mostly she was relieved that he wasn't actually dead. She grabbed the front of his shirt and pulled him in for a passionate kiss, trying to put every ounce of feeling she had for him into that one kiss.
He broke away only when he grew breathless. Antonin put his hands on her shoulders, his brown eyes searching her face for every micro emotion she wore. "But now, I need to go," he said with a frown. "Come with me?"
Hermione could hear her heartbeat rushing in her ears, thinking of what he was asking her. Could she really just walk away from her life in London? Could she really take a jump into the unknown with Antonin? "Yes," she said, hardly able to believe the words that were coming out of her mouth.
"Then, you guys will need these," Harry said, standing up from his spot on the chair. He handed them a pair of brand new passports and a stack of money.
"Harry," Hermione said softly, before pulling her friend into a tight hug.
He gave her a sad smile. "I'm going to miss you, Q," he said, his voice full of fondness. Even though they could get on each other's nerves, they were the closest thing the other had to a sibling. Saying goodbye hurt. "But...only if you are really, really sure."
Hermione bit her lip and looked at Antonin. "I'm really, really sure," she said.
"Alright, then take this," he answered, shoving her weekender bag into her hands, already packed.
"You knew that I'd say yes," she said, stifling a laugh. She could feel tears well into her eyes, but she knew it was the right choice for her.
"Yeah," he agreed. "Now hurry up and get out of here. I've got a supervillain to catch."
He didn't wait for either of them to say anything else before he fled the villa. Their goodbyes had already stretched on long enough. Hermione gave Antonin a shy smile. "Well, then," she said cautiously. "Airport?"
He returned her grin, truly free for the first time in years. "Yes," he agreed. "Anywhere in the world you'd like to go?"
"I say that we just get on the first flight out of here," she said, excited to see where life would take them.
Hermione's fingers tapped away at the keys on her laptop while she waited for Antonin to return to the rented home that they shared on the beach, just outside of Krabi Town in Thailand. The heat was sweltering, but Hermione enjoyed the breeze that swept in through open windows.
After six months here, she was pretty much used to it anyway.
Smirking when she saw Antonin walk up the steps to the bungalow, his arms full of groceries he'd brought back from town. His white shirt stuck to his chest in certain areas from the sweat. She bit her lower lip, taking a moment to appreciate his body, no longer embarrassed.
"Hey," she greeted him, before taking a sip of the cool gimlet she'd made with Thai basil from the garden.
"Hey yourself," he answered, looking at the laptop on the table in front of her. "Still working?"
"Just finished up," she answered, shutting the shell.
She'd tried to stay away from work, but she hadn't lasted a month. Luckily, she was able to work anywhere that there was an internet connection and M didn't mind paying for expensive satellite service if it meant that she still had her best quartermaster on payroll. And Hermione was glad to be able to keep managing her team from a distance.
"Harry says hello," she told him, before standing and getting him his own cocktail.
Antonin grunted in acknowledgement. "Tell him I say hello, too," he said. "Did you tell him about the fish I caught?"
Hermione rolled her eyes. "Of course I did. He wants a picture or he doesn't believe it," she explained. "What did you bring me for dinner?"
"Curry, prawns, that coconut ice cream that you like for dessert," he said.
"What's the occasion?" she questioned, knowing that the ice cream was reserved as a treat.
Antonin pressed his hands to his knees, restless. "You mean, besides the fact that it is our three year anniversary?" he asked with a smirk.
Antonin always liked to count the day that they met in Vienna as their anniversary, though Hermione preferred to count the day that they had left the Bahamas. "Is there something else?" she quipped.
"I think we should probably move on soon," Antonin explained. "We've been here for six months already. Feels too long to stay in one place.
Hermione nodded in agreement.
They'd initially gone to Caracas when they disappeared, but came to Krabi Town a few months after that. Although they had no reason to believe that Voldemort knew he was alive, Antonin wasn't comfortable staying in one place for too long. And he had quite the stash of money saved up to support his whirlwind travel.
He promised that he would eventually settle down in one place, but he wasn't in a hurry to do it now and neither was Hermione. Not while it was just the two of them.
"Where do you think we'll go next?" she mused, knowing that they could go anywhere on the globe.
"Nepal, maybe," Antonin suggested, shrugging his broad shoulders.
"I've always loved mountains," she said, excited for where their next adventure would take them. "I'll miss this place, though."
She looked around the bungalow, remembering all the fun times they'd had. Staying up until the small hours of the morning, telling each other about their early lives. Telling Antonin that she loved him for the first time and having him reciprocate. Many nights making love in the bedroom. The night that they tried to have sex in the ocean, only to be stumbled on by some drunk Dutch tourists.
But she knew that they would have even more memories to make in their next location. Maybe in Nepal they could get snowed in together and have to snuggle together for warmth in front of the fire. Now that was a bit of a cliche, but a girl could dream, couldn't she?
"It has been a good home," he agreed, looking around the room fondly. "But I only need one thing to feel at home."
"What's that?" Hermione asked, intrigued.
"You, of course," he answered with a crooked grin. "You are the only one who made me think that there could be more out of life than crime for me."
"Well, then I'm lucky that you set out to seduce me," she said with a laugh, touched that he felt like she was his home.
"If you keep looking at me like that, I'm going to seduce you again," he teased, giving her a stern face.
She bit her lower lip. "Like what? Like this?" she prodded.
Antonin stood up suddenly and lunged towards her. He grabbed her by the waist and lifted her over a shoulder, carrying her off in the direction of their bedroom. "You asked for it," he said.
Hermione was helpless to do anything but laugh in delight.
Fin.